Closure for mail-chutes.



PATBNTED JULY 18, 1905.

J. W. GUTLER. oLosun PoR MAIL GHUTBs.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.. 21, 1904.

NITED STATES Patented July 1s, 1905.

` PATENT OFFICE.

CLOSURE FOR MAIL-CHUTES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 795,107', dated July 18, 1905.

Application led March 21, 1904:. Serial N0. 199,315.

-To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH WARREN CUT- LER, of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Mail-Chutes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication, and to the reference-numerals marked thereon.

My present invention relates to mail-chutes employed for receiving mail-matter at any of the various floors of a building and conveying it to a receptacle or mail-box arranged at the lower end of the chute, from which the mailmatter is removed at intervals; and it has for its object to provide an improved closure for the mail-receiving apertures of the chute in order that access to the latter may be controlled by authorized persons when desired.

To these and other ends my invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

y In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of the mail-chute, showing the mail-receiving aperture therein. Eig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 2X 2X of Fig. l, showing the door in the closed position; and Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the door in the open position. Eig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 4X 1X of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective View of the door-operating member or cam, the keywards, and the key cooperating therewith.

In illustrating my invention I have shown a section of the tubular Inail-chute (indicated by 1) having the extension formed by the sides 2 and the top 3, which latter is provided with the mail-receiving aperture 4C. The front of the casing is closed by a removable plate 5,

The door or closure for the aperture 4 consists of a plate 8, pivoted at its lower end, as indicated at 9, and having at its upper end a fiange 10, adapted to close the aperture, or which may be provided withaplate 15, adapted to extend over the inner side of the aperture. 'Ihis plate may be provided with the word Closed or other suitable inscription, which will appear in position to be read by a person attempting to insert mail matter into the chute when the door or closure has been moved into the operative position.

The several mail-receiving apertures of a chute are normally open; but in order to enable one or more of them to be closed if, for instance, it is desired to repair the chute, or the receptacle at the lower end thereof, suitable controlling devices are provided which are adapted to be operated only by authorized persons, as will be further described.

` Arranged in the casing of the chute and preferably mounted on the front 5 is the door or closure operating member 16, which is cylindrical in form and journaled in a sleeve or bearing 17. This member is provided with a helical cam-slot 18, in whichy engages the end of a linger 19, attached to the door or closure 8 and projecting' through a slot 2O in the bearing 17, said slot forming a guide for the finger. At the outer end of the member 16 are provided depressions or apertures 25, with which the ears 26 at the end of a detachable operating key or handle 27 are adapted to engage. ln order that the door or closure may be under the control of the Post-Oflice Department, so that it can only be manipulated by authorized persons, the key is provided with wards 28, and cooperating therewith are similar guards or wards provided upon the plates 30, which are removably secured in a sleeve or thimble 31, arranged in alinement with the bearing 17 and having at its outer end the circular aperture 32, permitting the insertion and rotation of the key, as shown particularly in Fig. 4, the cooperative arrangement of these parts being such that by turning the key one-half of a revolution the door may be opened or closed. In-order to provide a convenient arrangement of the parts, the thimble is projected through an aperture in the front 5 of the casing and is provided at its inner end with a flange 33, whichl engaging the inner side of the front prevents it from being withdrawn. The bearing 17 is also provided with a similar flange 34:, and in both of these ianges apertures 35 are formed through which securing devices in the form of screws 36 may be passed into engagement with threaded apertures in the casing. The thimble and the bearing being open at their proximate ends, the guard-plates may be inserted in the former and the member 16 placed in the bearing, and as the thimble and bearing-sleeve are secured in alinement the member 16 will engage the adjacent guard-plate and hold all of said plates from displacement. The arrangement of the cam member for operating the door or closure whereby it is supported in a bearing so as to be rotated in an axis arranged parallel to or in alinement with the plane of movement of the door or closure enables me to provide a simple and compact controlling device, and by making the securing devices for the latter and also those for attaching the portion of the casing on which it is mounted accessible only from the interior of the casing prevents the parts being removed or tampered with when the chute-section' is placed in operative position.

A closure-operating device for mail-chutes constructed in accordance with my invention employs parts which are small in size and capable of being arranged compactly, and by forming the operating member and connecting it to the door as shown and described the latter may be securely locked either in the open or closed position.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination with' a mail-chute having a mail-receiving aperture and a door for closing it, of a revoluble member connected to the door and extending at an angle to the plane of movement of the door and a removlaJble operating-key coperating with the mem- 2. The combination with a mail-chute having a mail-receiving aperture and a door for closing it, of a cam located in front of the door and operative in bearings arranged in the plane of movement of the door, a removable key coperating with the cam and means operated by the latter and engaging the door.

having a mail-receiving aperture and a door for closing it, of a revoluble cam, means on the door engaging the cam, bearings for the 0am arranged on the caslng 1n front of the door and a removable key coperating with the cam.

5. The combination with a mail-chute having a mail-receiving aperture and a door Jfor closing it, operating transversely of the casing, of a cam, bearings therefor extending in the plane of movement of the door, a detachable key for rotating the cam and connections between the latter and the door.

6. The combination with a mail-chute casing having a mail-receiving aperture and a door for closing it, of a member revoluble on an axis arranged at right angles to the door, a connection between the member and door and means for operating the member.

7. The combination with a mail-chute casing having a mail-receiving aperture and a door for closing it, of a cam revoluble in an axis extending outwardly from the front of the door, connections between the latter and the cam whereby the door may be held either in the open or closed position and means for operating the cam.

8. The combination with a mail-chute casing having a mail-receiving aperture and a door for closing it, of a bearing arranged on the front of the casing, a revoluble cam journaled in the bearing and connected to the door and a detachable key coperating with the cam.

9. The combination with a mail-chute casing having a mail-receiving aperture and a door for closing it, ot' a bearing arranged on the casing, a revoluble member journaled in the bearing and provided with a cam-slot, a finger on the door engaging the slot and a detachable key coperating with the member.

l0. The combination with a mail-chute casing having a mail-receiving aperture and a door for closing it, of a slotted bearing arranged within the casing, a revoluble member journaled therein having a cam-slot, a finger on the door extending through the bearing and engaging the cam-slot and a detachable key coperating with the member.

l1. The combination with a mail-chute casing having a mail-receiving aperture and a door for closing it, of a sleeve secured to the inner side of the casing, a cam member therein connected to the door, a detachable key cooperating with said member having'wards and corresponding wards or guards in the sleeve with which the key coperates.

12. The combination with a mail-chute casing having a mail-receiving'aperture and a door for closing it, of a thimble extending through the casing and provided with a shoulder engaging the inner side thereof, a bearing extending inwardly from the thimble and devices for securing the bearing and the thimble to the casing, a cam member journaled in the bearing and coperating with the door, a removable key having wards and coperating with the cam member and corresponding wards or guards in the thimble with which the key cooperates.

IOO

IIO

IIS

13. The combination With a mail-Chute oasing having a mail-receiving aperture and a door for closing it, of a thimble open at its v inner end, key Wards or guards therein and 5 a bearing having an open end abutting the open end of the thimble, a @am member cooperating with the door, journaled in the bearing, and engaging the key-Wards, a key hav- 

